Judex

I recently saw Judex on television, and again I was impressed by the actress, Musidora, who had captured my attention as Irma Vep in Les Vampires. I found her villainess far more watchable than the anemic heroine chosen for the arrogant, vaguely ridiculous hero Judex. Musidora showed a naturalness and grace reminiscent of Rudolph Valentino at his best! The others were often over-emoting to the nth degree.

I also never understood why they had an obvious little girl in the role of the heroine's son,Jean. Little Olinda(Jean) really had a crush on the male child playing the Licorice Kid! The actor playing Judex's brother Roger was handsome and I think a beter silent actor than the man playing the lead. I found myself rooting for Diana Monti(aka Musidora) to eliminate the hero, and that is a sad commentary on the film in general! This film was supposedly to be light-hearted, but I found the storyline silly and often mawkish. Still, Musidora kept me watching despite the numerous flaws, and for her alone I recommend viewing this film!